The compression molding technique has heretofore been utilized in connection with the molding of organic thermoplastic articles from a heated gob of material. If only a single molding cavity is employed, there is little problem in dropping the gob into the cavity and effecting the compression molding of the gob; however, when a plurality of continuously moving molding members are employed, it is necessary that a plurality of identical gobs be successively formed and respectively deposited in the molding cavities in timed relationship to the arrival of the molding cavities at the point of deposit and with each gob having an identical thermal history. If the successive gobs of heated organic thermoplastic material are formed by successive severing operations on a vertically extruded, rod-like formation of such material, it is readily apparent that the arrival of the successive gobs at a particular horizontal plane is dependent upon the free-fall time of the gobs. Since the heated organic thermoplastic material is relatively tacky, there are minute differences in the severing time of successive gobs and, even though the gob shears be actuated according to a desired timed sequence, this provides no assurance that the freely-falling gobs will arrive at a particular vertical elevation in exactly the same time sequence as the shears are operated.
There is, accordingly, a need for a gob shearing and transfer method and mechanism which will positively deposit successive gobs in successive molding cavities of successive continuously moving molding members in a desired timed sequence which coincides with the arrival of the molding members at a particular point.